Fuhgeddaboud Alec
by Seamagik
Summary: A M/A AU set within S2's 'Fuhgeddaboudit.' When trying to get in good with the gangsters on that first night, Max comes across Alec and Mia gets the wrong idea. Hijinks ensue.
1. Chapter 1

Fuhgeddaboud Alec

Rated M

A M/A Fuhgeddaboudit AU

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A/N: I wrote this back in 2007, 2008, I want to say? And it's been sitting on my Live Journal ever since, just waiting for an expansion. Z is for Zoo and WotC: Friday continue to keep trying to get darker and darker so I figured this would be a fun, light-hearted distraction.

* * *

Another night, another Eyes Only mission.

The cappuccino had warmed her, as had the heated look in Logan's eyes, as she'd stepped out of his penthouse apartment in the tight, zippered black dress and platinum blonde wig. The warm feelings that Logan's appreciation had inspired hadn't really withstood the cool Seattle evening, or the lecherous gazes from the mobsters that she'd weaseled her way into the midst of.

For a moment, she thought it was awfully funny that a man that loved her so much was so willing to throw her, scantily clad, to the wolves.

But she was a transgenic, so what did it matter. She could take care of herself, and if one of those stupid mobsters tried to put a hand where his eyes were, she'd break it off and beat him to death with it. As it was, the muscle behind the Sperrenchino family, Logan's latest and greatest Big Threat, seemed more interested in feeding her than anything else. They'd plopped her down in the middle of a ritzy, family-owned restaurant, definite emphasis on _family_ owned, and had proceeded to order her a glass of wine and a large plate of spaghetti. That she was now picking at in disinterest while they ignored her to talk about horse racing.

She would have killed for some chicken. She'd had about all she could stand of pasta, at this point.

To be honest, she really didn't care much that the men at the table were momentarily ignoring her; her main target, after all, was Dougie, the short, balding one on her right. Not that she was doing all that well. Hence, the picking at her food and longing thoughts of fowl.

Dougie just didn't seem that interested. Tony, a man with a personality oily enough to sell used cars with a suit to match, had helpfully pointed out to her that the shorter man was a narcoleptic and wouldn't be much for conversation. But even when he _was_ awake, Dougie's droopy eyes darted around nervously and it was like he barely even registered that she was alive. She could have shrugged, whatever, can't win 'em all, but it meant so much to Logan that she found herself at the table long after she would have left for the security of combat boots and Crash.

She resolved to give it one more shot, one last hurrah, before calling it quits and Logan Cale be damned. She had better things to do than freeze, be ogled, and eat pasta.

Maybe in another universe, things would have gone differently… Maybe Max would have been more charming. Maybe something would have worked out and Logan would have eventually got his man. Maybe they'd toast each other over candlelight and even _more_ pasta, who knows. Max just knew that she turned to smile vacantly at Dougie in time to watch _him_ sauntering up, his arm around some blonde doxie. The girl's hair was just as fake as Max's, maybe even more so, but it was no wig. Just another reject from a bleach junkie's beauty school. The girl in the short, red sequined dress barely even registered though, locked in as Max was on _him_.

Her face, frozen in surprise, held on to the sickly sweet grin long after it should have died. Her brown eyes had gone a little bit too wide to be pleasant. The men at the table paused in their conversation and turned in curiosity to follow her strange gaze.

"Wellll…" Tony grinned. "If it isn't Monty-friggin'-Cora." He shoulda known. Women had a terrible habit of trailing off mid-thought when they caught sight of the former underground boxer.

The frozen smile was beginning to hurt Max's face and part of her realized she must look a little crazed. She could feel an angry kind of laughter start to bubble in her chest. If she got mistaken for a crazy woman and was kicked out of here, it would be his fault. What was he even doing here? He was gonna hurt for this.

Dougie frowned at her, leaning over, opening his mouth to ask her if she was alright.

Alec's expression didn't give away a thing. Maybe he recognized that Dougie was about to call attention to Max's strangled, manic expression, maybe he recognized the older man was her target and wanted to annoy her, who knows what he was thinking. Whatever the case, he released the girl that had been hanging on to his arm and she teetered and fell into Dougie's lap, giggling, the sequins of her dress flashing in the warm light of the restaurant. Alec's hand clapped Tony on the shoulder, and he smiled genially at the seated men. "Heya, boys."

Max finally felt her face relax as he broke the silence. She leaned into Dougie, pushing away her annoyance that the thin, obviously tipsy, girl Alec had brought was now blocking her route of conversation. "Who is this guy?" Max asked sweetly, then had to lean away when the blonde in his lap snapped around to look at her, her long hair whipping into Dougie's face. The blonde glared prettily at Max and Max wanted to reassure her, I have no intention of making off with your stupid prize. Instead, she focused on Dougie, who had leaned as far back into his seat as it would allow, looking uncomfortable. For a moment, Max vaguely wondered if he even _liked_ girls. Maybe Logan should be the one sitting here in a tight leather outfit. The vindictive thought warmed her even more than his earlier heated look had.

The man seated next to Tony, Shakes, she'd heard him called earlier, cracked his knuckles and grinned at her, answering her question before Dougie could. "This, baby doll, is one of da best boxers in Seattle." He shook his head in amusement. "Damn good poker player, too."

Yep. She was definitely going to kill him. Alec had ambled closer, so Max turned and blinked up at his bland face with big, brown eyes, her nose wrinkling cutely in confusion. "Him? But isn't he a little… small?"

Alec's eyes narrowed for only a moment as he took in her, quote-unquote, "dumb girl" voice, before he smirked, leaning over her, one arm on the back of her chair. She resisted the urge to pull a Dougie and shrink away, even when his smirk became downright lewd. "Don't worry, baby," She wanted to smack that expression off of him. "I'm big in all the right places." He winked at her, too.

Max resisted the urge to gag as the men at the table laughed. Neanderthals. The man on her left, the one that she'd never caught the name of, leaned forward and Max did her best to remain relaxed. Even though every fiber in her being was telling her to duck under Alec's arm and get the hell out of there, get away from him, from Alec, from Alec's nearness. "Darlin'," The man was saying, "the best boxers in history have all been small, fast men. And Alec here _is_ bigger than them, but he's faster, too."

Her eyes widened, almost startled. They even knew his frickin' name? There was no question about it now; she was definitely going to kick his ass. She forgot that she was supposed to feel uncomfortable when this close to him, forgot the panic that had been rearing up to choke her when he'd leaned in. "Alec, huh?" She cocked her head, turning back to look at him, still leaning over her chair. His face was still too close to hers, but the warmth of her annoyance flaring within her made her forget, made it seem like it wasn't even an issue. "As in smart-aleck?"

He frowned, straightening suddenly. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name." Hah, maybe she'd made _him_ uncomfortable for a change…

"Dorothy," Dougie helpfully supplied, shoving long blonde hair out of his face once more. The girl's strong perfume made his nose twitch and for a moment it looked like he was about to sneeze.

"Dorothy." Alec's tongue rolled around the name and his eyes dipped down past the platinum locks to the tanned curve of her neck and then to the curve of her… She had to resist the sudden urge to draw the dress's provocative zipper up. She wouldn't have to, because his eyes snapped immediately back to her face, apparently refusing to linger on skin. His voice, when it came again, had an edge of hardness to it that she didn't recognize. "Shouldn't you be scampering back to Kansas, Dorothy? I'm sure the Tin Man is waiting."

Max's eyes narrowed.

Tony sighed. "Nobody watches the classics anymore. The Tin Man was in Oz, not in Kansas."

Alec's face fell into blandness, his eyes never leaving her face. "But it's so nice and normal in Kansas. Exactly where I'm sure Dorothy would like to fit in best." He punctuated the comment with a cheeky little grin and a gentle bop on her nose with one index finger. Her hand curled into a fist in her lap, the bite of fingernail in her palm the only thing stopping her from decking him. Alec didn't seem to care about the fire igniting in her dark brown eyes; he seemed pretty intent on getting his money's worth in while she seemed so unwilling to fight back. Maybe he just wanted to see how long she would hold on to the bimbo act before she couldn't stand it anymore and tried to throw him out a window. God, what a masochist, Max thought to herself, not for the first time.

Tony shook his head, "Don't worry 'bout him, sweetheart. He's always making' some kind of scene in front of the ladies."

"Nice of you to call me a lady, Tony."

Heads turned to take in a perky brunette, suddenly hovering at Dougie's shoulder. Where the hell had she come from? Great, Max wanted to huff. More competition. Alec was the only one that didn't turn to look. But only because he took the moment of distraction to yank her from her seat, twist around her to take her spot, and pull her back down, all in one fast, fluid motion. She'd beaten on him so many times, sometimes it was easy to forget how quick, how strong, he could actually be.

Still, she couldn't do much about it now. Either make a big show out of it and ruin Logan's good night, or deal with it and give him hell later. She let herself be pulled into his warm lap, but 3 ½ inches of black heel dug into his foot as glorious retribution. His face twisted in a grimace but it didn't matter because no one noticed, busy as they were looking at the newcomer.

"Wasn't talkin' 'bout you, Mia." Tony was saying in cool annoyance, so guess they knew who this woman was. "Now scram. You know the boss don't want you 'round Books, here." Books was apparently Dougie's 'gangster' name, or whatever, by the way Tony thumbed at the older man. Max wondered if Alec had gotten a nickname too, but pushed the thought away because it was too ridiculous.

The classily-dressed brunette was taken a little bit aback by Tony's easy dismissal, Max could tell. Mia glanced down at Dougie, at Alec's date, still in Dougie's lap, her eyes narrowing in hurt. "Shouldn't that be up to Dougie?" She asked and Max almost wanted to wince at the imploring tone behind the pretended strength.

But whatever this woman was to him was not enough to stand up to the glares of the well-dressed gangsters sitting at the table. Dougie's eyes darted around nervously, shifting uncomfortably under the girl in his lap. "You heard 'em." He reached around the girl to grab at his fork, obviously distressed. Max almost kind of felt bad for the guy. "Scram."

Mia's eyes darted to the blonde in Dougie's lap and Max once again caught the undertones of something deeper. "Who's the skirt?" Mia shifted, unhappy. Max vaguely wondered if Mia was some kind of wounded ex.

Before Dougie could say anything else, Shakes chimed in with a soft voice, "You want we should start barrin' you from the club?"

The mobster on Max's left put in his two cents as well. "Beat it!"

Alec's date even had that annoying accent. Jeez, where did this club in the middle of Seattle even find these people? The blonde sniffed at the brunette in a high, nasal timbre. "See ya lateh, old news."

Max felt a little bad for the woman as she watched her flounce off. Then Mia stopped a few feet away, speaking softly to a waiter. Max's sympathy turned to amusement and grudging respect when only moments later, the waiter walked by and 'accidentally' dumped a martini into the lap of Alec's date. She shrieked, leaping from Dougie, whirling on the apologetic server. Max smirked, wondering how much Mia had bribed the guy. She tuned out the drama of the thugs threatening the waiter to gloat about it to Alec.

"Shouldn't you go clean up your date?" She asked. "Or is it even possible to clean up something that trashy?"

He took another bite of her spaghetti. She looked down in alarm to realize half her plate was gone. "Trixie? Not my date," He spoke around the food and her face twisted in disgust. "Just one of the club girls."

"Hey, that's mine!"

"You want it?" He opened his mouth to show her the partially chewed pasta.

Her eyes widened and she reared away from him. He grinned, his mouth snapping shut smugly to finish chewing.

So, had he picked up a drunken girl, or had a drunken girl tried to pick up him? Had he been trying to help Trixie or had he just been trying to 'help' her back to his place? You never could tell with Alec. In the long run, the girl was unimportant. Whatever the reason, he shouldn't _be_ here right now, he was ruining _everything_… and he had eaten all her pasta! (It didn't matter that she hadn't actually wanted it in the first place). Her fist clamped into the collar of his suit jacket and she leaned forward to tell him off… Wai-

Wha-

Suit jacket?

Alec was dressed up?

How had she not noticed this?

She glanced down. No, not really dressed up, she realized. The maître d at the front door had probably forced the jacket on him before he'd finally been allowed into the upscale establishment. Underneath the dark blazer, a blue t-shirt was obvious, and he was wearing some loose blue jeans to top it all off. She glanced back up and colored when she realized Alec had paused in his eating to study her, watching her look him over.

"You'll be talkin' to Jerry, tomorrow." Tony's threatening voice brought her back to the present conversation and she turned away from Alec's strange intensity in time to watch the waiter scamper away. Trixie the blonde stomped off in the same direction that Mia had gone, headed towards the ladies' bathroom. Tony turned to look at the table, rolling his shoulders in annoyance. "After tonight, I almost don't feel like headin' to the back."

"What's in the back?" Max's voice was a little sharp as she reluctantly released her hold on Alec's blazer. Maybe a little too sharp. So she added a cutesy giggle at the end when Tony looked at her, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. Alec snorted and her elbow dug warningly into his ribs.

The damage had been done without Alec's help, though. Tony's voice took on a soft edge of menace that she hadn't heard before. "You know, you sure do ask a lot of questions."

Shakes' dark eyes narrowed in agreement. "Yeah. That's pretty much all you been doin' the whole night." Then, as if it was an even worse affront, "You barely even ate your spaghetti."

She only had a moment to feel alarm, because Alec had put down the fork to lean back into the chair, his fingers rising to rest lightly, warningly, on her shoulder. "Ahh, c'mon guys. You know how nosy chicks are. Always sticking' their cute little faces in other people's business."

She didn't dig the spike of her heel into his shoe because everyone was watching him and would have noticed his grimace. Plus, as weird as it was, it was like he was helping her, and she didn't know that gouging his foot would be the best way to say thank you... So she just mentally held her breath, waiting. It took a long moment, but Tony finally loosened up with a half-hearted shrug. "Dames," He shook his head and Alec's soft laugh seemed to be a kind of agreement. Scratch that 'thank you' business. First chance she got, her heel was going' so far into his foot he'd need a surgeon to dig it out.

Then Tony smirked. "What the hell. Let's see if I can't win some money out of those deep pockets of yours." He turned to leave, pausing only when he noticed Alec hadn't gotten up to follow. "You coming or what, Mr. Monty Cora?"

He smiled blandly at the older man, his hand still resting lightly upon her shoulder, like he was trying to hold her back or something. "Yeah, sure, just give me a chance to work my magic on Dorothy here."

Tony rolled his eyes and the three 'respectable business men' headed towards the back of the restaurant where they were promptly let through a mostly inconspicuous door by a large man in dark clothing. As they were walking away, Alec's hand dropped immediately from her shoulder and Max twisted in his lap to scowl at him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She demanded when she was sure no one was close enough to hear. "And how the hell do you know those guys? And what's in the back? And why are you even here?"

"You already asked that," He pointed out blandly. He reached up, like he couldn't help himself, and tugged at a fake blonde lock in seeming amusement.

"Don't make me hurt you," She hissed, pulling her head away from him.

Alec sighed, shaking his head sadly as his hand dropped back down. "Why are you always so kinky, Maxie? Two years of waiting really's worked up an appetite, huh?"

She recognized a diversionary tactic when she heard one. So she didn't say anything, just arched one cool eyebrow, her foot tapping impatiently in time with the classical music playing in the background.

"Fine," He groused. "I met them back when I was still pit fighting. They won some money off me a couple times so they took a liking to me and started inviting me to play poker."

She shoulda known.

"Way to hang with the bad guys, Alec."

"You keep telling me I'm not allowed to take money from the good guys," He replied, all charm.

She rolled her eyes, looking away from him so she could sigh in pretended unhappiness. Her mobsters had escaped, so guess that was an end to this night. It wasn't _so_ bad, was it? Logan would find something else to fixate on eventually. Hopefully next time he'd find her something to kick instead of someone to seduce. Ah well, if nothing else, at least she'd get to blame the entire thing on Alec, she realized with dawning delight.

The thought lifted Max's spirits a little and she started to stand, getting ready to leave. So she was a little surprised when his arm circled her waist and she was pulled back down.

"Do you want me to get you in the back or what?"

She paused, blinking, turning to sit sideways in his warm lap. "You… you would do that?"

It was in the back of her mind, even as she was talking to him; it was the second time she'd noticed how warm he was. She'd lived so long on the outside, sometimes she forgot that transgenics ran so hot. Or maybe it'd just been a while since she'd been so close to somebody, physically. She tried to ignore it though, and he seemed oblivious.

"Yeah," Alec frowned, like even he couldn't believe he was offering his help. Which he probably couldn't. Then he fixed her with a warning glare. "Just don't do anything that'll get us shot, okay? I know you've got this desperate need to please Logan-"

"This has nothing to do with Logan." She hissed in embarrassment. Except that they both knew it had everything to do with Logan, because she wouldn't be here if it weren't for Eyes Only. "I'm here for the good of the city." She finished with as much dignity as she could muster, hard to do in the make-up and high heels and blonde wig and black dress.

"Yeah, and I'm sure the fact that you stopped by Logan's apartment first has nothing to do with your outfit." Alec replied blandly. Then he smirked, his eyes caressing the short, platinum wig. "But I gotta say, I'm impressed. Who knew that you were so naturally…" He paused there, his gaze lowering to the strip of skin at eye level, the hint of breast, and a slow smile spread across face, "…perky."

Her eyes widened, her arms folding protectively across her chest.

"Not helping things," He pointed out.

"You're a pig," She muttered, twisting slightly away from him. He chuckled softly as he heard the sound of the zipper being drawn up and over her breasts, hiding her surprisingly delightful cleavage from him. If she weren't so asexual, he would almost be saddened by the lack of view. Still, he was doing her a favor, he told himself; she'd probably be thanking him if she knew the way other men had let their eyes linger on her skin. Really, he was just helping her out by pointing out the low, low zipper to her.

"Isn't it kind of pointless to dress like that for Logan's benefit?" He found himself asking. "Robo legs or no, isn't the guy paralyzed from the waist down?"

He must have picked the wrong subject. She snapped back to him suddenly, quicker than a blink, and her fists gripped his suit jacket as she shoved him roughly into the seat, pressing close to snarl into his face. He couldn't help that his eyes darted to her glistening lips. "Listen, buddy-"

"Am I interrupting?"

They turned as one to gape in surprise at the brunette, looking down at them. They'd been so caught up they hadn't even heard Mia walking up. Max released her hold on his suit jacket, almost uncomfortably. Alec cleared his throat, glancing away from Max's mouth to look at the other woman that he hadn't paid much attention to earlier. And his eyes narrowed, almost in anger.

"You're Alec, right?" Mia asked, eyes darting between the two people, embarrassed that she'd chosen what seemed to be an intimate moment to pose her question. She would have gotten to him sooner, but the blonde woman that'd been sitting in Dougie's lap had to be taken care of first. As it was, Sarah, her _real_ name had been, was in a cab on her way home with a sudden desire to clean up her life. Now, butterflies flared in Mia's stomach at the reminder of what she was about to ask X5-494 to do. But she calmed them with force. No _way_ he would remember her from his time in Psy Ops. And the human bimbo in his lap would never guess in a million years what she was, what _they_ were. This should be easy. Or at least Mia had hoped it would be until she caught Alec's expression.

His green eyes were moving over Mia's familiar face and he was frowning, like he was trying to remember a long forgotten slight. "Don't I know you?"

Max snorted at the lame attempt at a pick-up line as Mia glanced away. "No, I don't think so."

"Are you sure?" His hard voice had Max turning to look at him. Maybe not a pick-up line after all, Max realized, he sounded almost annoyed. His gaze was narrow and searching, almost as if he was angry, and Max's face twisted in confusion. Alec seemed oblivious to her look, continuing, "Cuz I _never_ forget a face, and I could swear-"

Mia held out a hand, around Max's turned body, smiling genially. "I'm Mia."

She was looking directly at him. So Max watched as Alec's eyes went completely blank, just for a second, she felt as his body relaxed under hers, just for a moment. But before she could snark at him with a tinge of alarm, his cocky grin came back up. In real time, the transformation was almost instantaneous. The hint of anger had melted away, being replaced by easy charm. He reached around Max to take the brunette's outstretched hand. "Alec. How's it going?"

Warning bells were ringing in Max's mind, even though she kept her expression pleasant enough. _Something isn't right here_.

"I was wondering if you could do me a teeny, tiny little favor?" Mia asked, in that cutesy little girl voice that Max was deciding she didn't much like.

"Hey, no problem." Alec shrugged, oblivious to Max's discomfort and growing unhappiness.

Mia made a self-deprecating face as she laughed lightly. "You know I hate to ask you, but really, it's just a small thing. You see," She gestured at the door the mobsters had disappeared into early. More importantly, she gestured at the burly bouncer lounging next to the door. "They won't let me into the back. And I'd ask Bruno myself." Bruno must be the muscle bound lug protecting the small swinging door, Max realized. Then snorted. Bruno the bouncer. Heh. How trite. She tuned back in to Mia. "But he's already let me in without permission so many times, if I ask him to do it again, they'll probably can him. But everyone knows you, and I thought maybe-"

"Hey, do I know you from somewhere?" Alec leaned forward around Max, peering hard at the brunette's face.

Okay, now she _knew_ something was up.

Mia glanced at her, shifting awkwardly, hoping that the bimbo front the blonde in Alec's lap was using wasn't just an act, otherwise this could get uncomfortable real quickly. The shorter brunette tried to use her powers on only one person at a time. Pulling in two would leave her more drained than she liked. So instead she giggled, hoping her previous efforts would carry her through. "Silly, I just introduced myself, remember?"

Alec's voice was soft, almost confused, and she didn't even have to use coercion. "Yeah… yeah." He reached around Max and made a grab for the wine glass near her plate, downing the pale liquid quickly.

"Maybe you've had too much to drink?" Mia suggested.

Alec frowned, setting the glass back down abruptly. "Yeah." He shook his head. "Man, I've had way too much to drink." He sagged back into the chair, his fingers playing absently with the short hem of Max's skirt at the outside of her thighs... almost like he didn't realize that was a no-no with Max. Almost like he really _was_ tipsy and was dealing with lowered inhibitions. "I don't know if I'll be even to play in the game, tonight."

Mia shot Max a knowing smile. "Men." She shrugged. Max's vacant smile didn't reach her hard eyes.

Alec couldn't get drunk. His metabolism wouldn't allow it. What the hell was going on? She was tempted to end this whole charade right now and ask him who the hell this girl was, what the hell _was_ this, but something that felt like self-preservation kept her mouth shut. She wouldn't be able to hold out for long, though. Without the benefit of clothes to dampen his heat, his fingers were even hotter than his lap was. She knew, because she was acutely aware of them every time they brushed like fire against her skin. Then, even worse, one hand slid suddenly, surely, from the outside of her thigh to the _inside_ and she bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from jumping away from him, to calm a heartbeat that, for a moment, was pounding.

Then, she wouldn't have to do anything, because Mia immediately realized her mistake. "Oh, I'm sure it's just a _little_ tipsiness. It's probably nothing. It'll clear up in no time." She glanced away, blushing lightly. Mia's round brown eyes had caught the movement of his hand just as surely as her sensitive ears had caught the speeding of the Max's heart. Maybe that hadn't been the best suggestion to make when he'd had an attractive girl in his lap. "So, do you think you could take me with you into the back?"

Alec blinked, shaking his head. "Whaddya know. I am feeling better." He paused for a moment, suddenly realizing where his hand was and he snatched it away from Max's skin quickly. Then to cover his embarrassment, he looked at Mia, shrugging apologetically and pretending like nothing had happened. "I would, but I already promised Dorothy here that I'd take her."

"Oh," Mia's gazed shifted between the two of them in surprise and she backed out of her earnest pose to smile warmly at them both. She'd thought the woman in Alec's lap had just been another club worker, brought in to keep society's aristocratic blood hot and their money flowing, but she couldn't be if she had to be escorted to the gambling rooms.

The air didn't seem as thick anymore, Max noticed, her brain struggling to connect the dots between Mia's previously intense smile and Alec's oddball behavior. She refused, however, to think about his hand on her thigh only moments ago. Couldn't even think about kicking his ass. It seemed dangerous, somehow, like maybe she should just forget it happened. Then Mia was asking, "Are you two a couple?"

Max and Alec exchanged a quick glance.

"No," She said as he said "Yes."

They exchanged another glance.

"Yes," She said as he shrugged, "No."

Mia smiled sadly, nodding in something like understanding. "It's complicated, huh? I know how that goes. Me n' my guy can't even speak much 'cuz of these mob jokers."

Max's eyes widened in sudden understanding. The strong tone with pained eyes. The whisper to the waiter. "You n' _Dougie_?" Maybe _that's_ why he hadn't been biting. He already had a someone. It was almost kind of cute… or would be… if everything about this woman wasn't making Max's hackles rise.

"Caught that, huh?" Mia shrugged, a bit sadly. Then she leaned forward again, smiling brightly, fixing Alec with another look that made the hairs on the back of Max's neck stand on end. "So, can we go to the back now? I'm sure they won't mind if you bring us both."

Alec blinked. "Yeah, sure. I don't think they'll mind if I bring you both." Alec's fingers curled around Max's forearm, like he was grasping for help, but Max was still too weirded out by the whole conversation and the heat of his skin and the purr in her mind and she didn't even want to know where _that_ came from.

Max shook free of his grasp quickly. "What's in the back, anyway?"

Alec blinked, and then smirked at her, his hands coming up to rest on her hips. "It's the mob, baby. What do you think?"

It wasn't a freezer full of bodies, Max noted in relief. Just a lot of gambling, catered towards Seattle's elites, and even more alcohol. Alec had no trouble leading the two women past Bruno the bouncer, who did genuinely seem to like Alec. Max rolled her eyes. Scum of the earth, unite. The thought felt a little petty, though, a little like payback for the hand that had been on her thigh.

Truth be told, there wasn't a whole lot of excitement in that large, well-lit back room. Just a lot of drunk business men, card tables, roulette wheels, and scantily dressed women. Max frowned. She'd expected something… dunno. Scarier. Crowbars and people begging for the safety of their kneecaps or somethin'. This was just sad.

"Hey, what's she doing here?" Tony demanded, breaking away from a roulette table to follow them to another smaller, even plainer door at the back of that room.

"She's with me," Alec's arm draped loosely over Mia's shoulders. Mia smiled sicky-sweet at Tony. Tony snorted, not buying it for a moment, before turning to run lascivious eyes over Max's body. He seemed slightly disappointed that the zipper of her dress had been pulled up to more respectable heights.

"Well. Whaddabout her, then?"

Still, Max didn't like that look on the guy's face. So she pressed into Alec's side, giggling, batting long eyelashes up at him. "I'm with him, too."

Tony shook his head, muttering. "That was fast. Change your name to Magic Man," He turned to push through the door, staying surprisingly good natured despite his hot temperament. Guess he liked Alec, or Alec's money, more than he liked dames. Then Max shook herself, pulling herself away from Alec and ignoring his amused glance. Dames? Jeez, she almost sounded like Logan.

There was no muscle bound bouncer before the door Tony had pushed through. But it didn't need one. Only an idiot woulda walked through that door and not backed out immediately at the sight of the two thin men, leaning back in chairs, guns displayed prominently in leather shoulder holsters. Tony led them past the men, through another door, down a narrow hallway, past the bright, noisy kitchens, and into a small room near a fire exit. It could have been a storage room with its swaying, solitary light bulb, shelving with food stuffs, bare brick walls and uncovered concrete floors. Could have been if it weren't for the round table in the middle of the room and the mobsters lounging in rickety chairs around it.

Alec shrugged off the suit jacket and Max had to admit he was probably the only person on the planet that could pull off a dress jacket with only a dark blue t-shirt underneath. He plopped into a chair. "Who's dealing?"

Max glanced sharply at him. There was no way he was stupid enough to try and cheat at cards with a bunch of mobsters. Idiot. She rolled her eyes, glancing around the room for her target. Dougie wasn't taking part in the game. He was leaning in a chair over by some shelving, fighting hard to stay awake. Mia looked like she wanted to go speak to him but Tony's critical eye had her stayin' put. For the moment anyway.

Well, that left him open for her. She felt a little bad for Mia, but she'd promised Logan she'd give it a shot. She already had a feeling Dougie would continue not biting the bait, especially with Mia here, so she kept one eye on the card game just to make sure Alec wouldn't do anything stupid. She needn't have worried. He wasn't cheating, she realized after the first hand. As the games progressed, he was winning a bit more than he lost, but he was playing on luck and skill alone, without any slight of hand. Guess even he wasn't stupid enough to try and rip off a bunch of gangsters. He probably liked his own ass too much to have it shot at. At least he was doing a little bit better than her. After an hour of trying to pull Dougie into conversations, the short accountant still wasn't much interested, just as she'd suspected he wouldn't be.

Even so, Mia was getting antsy and a bit annoyed at all the attention Max seemed to be paying her secret-boyfriend. So, when Alec lost a hand and grunted, leaning in annoyance away from the table, Mia seized at the opportunity.

"It's cuz you don't have a good luck charm." She said breezily, hovering momentarily over Alec's shoulder.

"True," One burly man agreed. He squeezed the girl in his lap and she let out a giggle. Alec grinned.

"Hell, I brought two of 'em." Alec shook his head with a rueful laugh. "Shoulda known neither of 'em would be lucky." He leaned to the side to pull more cash from the pocket of his jacket. Max glanced over, wondering where the hell he was gettin' all his money from. Glanced over and into Mia's soft eyes.

"Dorothy, you and Alec are close, why don't you come sit with him?"

Max wasn't entirely sure how she ended up across the room, nestled into Alec's lap, but there she was. Alec seemed almost as confused as she was. "Jeez, you must really want this guy," He hissed into her ear as he leaned forward to throw in his opening ante.

Yeah. That's why she'd done it. Didn't want to seem out of place. She'd make another play for Dougie in a little bit. Sure.

Dougie was almost immediately forgotten though. She found herself watching the cards, watching Alec rearrange his hand. It'd been so long since she'd been in a game. What had it been? A year ago? Yeah. A year ago when they were tryin' to bail out Sketchy and she and O.C. had fleeced some macho punks for all their dough. She turned the memory over fondly; it'd been good times in a happier, more care-free past, one that seemed so disconnected from her life at the present. That's how girl power should really be used, she thought wistfully, winning money and kicking ass, not on seducing some narcoleptics that already had a girlfriend. She squeezed Alec's thigh when he was getting ready to throw out a face card. She wiggled a bit to get the point across and he swallowed, shifting in discomfort before shoving the card back into his hand, discarding a lesser suit instead.

One full house later, Alec took the pot. She clapped her hands in pretended girly glee, before giving him a quick hug to cover her murmur. "Half of that's mine, buddy."

He smirked at her, green eyes glowing as he whispered right back. "Night's still young, Maxie."

He wasn't kidding. These guys were poker aficionados. It was well past three a.m. when Max decided she needed to stretch her legs, snatching for her purse and heading to the bathroom. She hadn't realized how tense Alec had been until she lifted herself from his lap and watched him wilt a little in relief. She was tempted to scowl at him; it's not like she was heavy or something… But she didn't, because even she was getting unnerved at how easy it was to melt into his front, to watch the cards shuffle and re-shuffle, to forget that this was not her life. So she left him to it. Maybe his moral compass wasn't always in perfect alignment (not that hers always had been either, a thought that she easily ignored), but at this point she had faith in Alec's poker skills if nothing else. As long as he didn't lose any of _their_ money, no big, she could leave him alone for a little bit.

It occurred to her that it was getting late, and she hadn't checked in with Logan yet… But the night wasn't over yet, she'd just have to do it tomorrow. Her eyes glanced across Dougie as she left the room. Not that she'd have much to report…

Mia must have caught her glance, because she followed her to the restroom. Max was a little annoyed by it, not having ever been the type of girl that felt the need to travel in packs. Or make small talk.

"Alec sure is doing good," Mia gushed excitedly.

Max shrugged, blowing it off. He _was_ good, she had to admit, but so was she. Let people gush over Alec's skill. As long as she got half the money, she'd let him have all the glory. Plus, she was still pretty sure that she didn't like Mia, so she kept her answer short. "Yeah. He's got a knack."

Mia must be more observant than her airy voice let on. "You helped him out a little, though, right? You two could be a great team! Could win all _sorts_ of money," Mia smile was large and bright, wheels beginning to turn. She fixed Max with a probing stare. "Where did you say you worked?"

"At Jam Pony, with Alec." The words poured, unbidden, out of her. Max blinked, shaking her head. Huh. Weird. She hadn't meant to say that. She looked away from the brunette, trying to cover her surprise at her blurted answer.

Mia was still watching her as Max dug through her purse, looking for a tube of pink lipstick. "You said you n' Alec are dating, right?" The woman asked her back. Mia willed Max to look around and look her in the eyes, but Max was still stubbornly trying to stop the conversation before it started.

Max shrugged noncommittally, her fingers closing around the tube at the bottom of her purse, not answering either way.

"And you work together too, how cute!"

Max controlled her expression, the roll of her eyes, by turning to the mirror to apply the color in the small black tube. She glanced up though, and her gaze widened as their eyes connected in the mirror, as she was caught in Mia's unblinking stare.

"What I don't understand, is if you and Alec are dating," Mia's eyes narrowed, and there was something strangely soft about her face, something warm and inviting. "Why were you trying so hard to spend time with Dougie?"

Max's smile became secretive as she turned away from the mirror to speak to the woman who was so amazingly wonderful and trustworthy that she just _had_ to share everything with. "Well, my name isn't Dorothy. It's actually Max." She opened herself up warmly. "I'm on a mission. I'm supposed to get Dougie to flip on the Sperrenchino family. Get him to finger the boss for Eyes Only."

Mia's eyes widened as Max let her in on the secret. Max dreamily wondered if Mia was her best friend, because she sounded so concerned when she said, "My goodness! That sounds dangerous! Is that why you brought Alec, because he's a transgenic?"

It was like an ice bath.

Max shook her head, alarm flooding her body. "Wait, _what_?"

"Oh, nothing," Mia smiled at the girl before her, drawing Max back into her gaze. "Forget I said that." Max nodded dumbly, instantly forgetting that Mia knew that Alec was a… was… what had she forgotten? She didn't know, but it didn't matter, because Mia was talking again and Mia was the most important thing on the planet.

"But if Alec's not here to protect you, why is he here?"

Max snorted. "To play poker. Plus he probably gets off on the fact that he could get shot at any moment. Sometimes I can't tell if he's an adrenaline junkie or just a total masochist."

Mia blinked. That was… way too much information. She shifted uncomfortably, not really wanting to know any more about Max n' Alec's private relationship. "Well… you two certainly are… unconventional." It seemed like the politest thing she could think of to say. Then she paused, her smile becoming hard as she came back to the only thing that _really_ concerned her. "Do you think you'll try and make any more passes at Dougie?"

"Probably," Max shrugged, her shoulders rising and falling in the black material of her tight dress. "This is kind of a big deal."

That was so not going to work for Mia. She was pretty confident in Dougie's love for her… but she wasn't blind, and neither was he. Max wasn't anything even remotely resembling unattractive.

"But you look so tired," Mia's expression softened in seeming concern. "And Alec probably wouldn't much like that anyway. He seems like the jealous type, you know. Wouldn't you rather he just take you home?"

Max yawned. Was it really past three a.m. already? "Man, I'm so beat. Maybe Alec should just take me home." Besides, wouldn't it be awful if he got jealous that she was trying to pick up Dougie for Eyes Only? She couldn't let that happen. He _did_ seem like the jealous type after all, always busting in on her n' Logan, interrupting them just so he could make smart ass remarks.

"Why don't I get him for you? You look like you could go to sleep at any second!"

God, she couldn't stop yawning. Her eyes were so heavy. When was the last time she'd slept? She couldn't remember. "Yeah," She spoke around her hand. "Would you really do that for me? That'd be great."

"No problem," Mia grinned. "You two are just so cute, I'm glad to help. I'll go tell him right now."

Max and Alec were grinning goofily at Mia, less than five minutes later, as she expended all of her energy on keeping them both locked in her gaze. A headache started to develop behind her eyes as she forced them both into her will. "Now, you two march straight home and get right into bed, and you get a good night's sleep, you hear? And you remember just how lucky you are to have each other." She added the last part because she felt a little guilty for sending them away when they were just trying to help out the Eyes Only character. Maybe she was just feeling wistful that she couldn't be open in her own relationship, maybe she just wanted someone else to have a little bit of happiness. Whatever it was, as the good looking couple walked away from her and into the early morning darkness, Mia beamed to herself. Job well done.

Max's eyes opened slowly and blinked in confusion at the sunlight glinting across her face. Her eyes fell back shut at the annoyance and she snuggled back into the hot body at her back, smiling as a heavy arm tightened around her. She sighed as she sleepily remembered how lucky she was to have him there. She'd been so tired last night, she hadn't even changed clothes. She'd barely had time to kick out of her shoes and pull the wig off before falling into bed. She was glad he'd been around to take her home.

Alec sighed in response, breathing against soft hair, a gentle, feminine scent tickling his nose. He smiled, his eyes still shut, his head operating on instinct to turn and nip at the warm skin of her neck. He sleepily remembered how lucky he was to have her here, in a situation so extraordinary, especially when she murmured so appreciatively at his gentle little bite and her hips rocked backwards into his.

Wait.

Wha-

Green eyes snapped open only moments before brown. They scrambled out of bed to stare at each other from opposite sides of the room, chests heaving in horror.

"What the hell?! What are you doing in my apartment?" Max shouted. She was still dressed in her clothes from the night before, but then, so was he.

He glanced around, confused. "Your apartment?" It had to be, because it sure as hell wasn't his.

Cindy pushed through the bedroom doorway, having heard Max's shout. "Everything o- hh my god!"

"This isn't what it looks like!" They shouted in unison, glaring at her. Then they started in surprise, turning back to glare at each other.

Cindy took the wisest option available to her. She retreated quickly.

Alec would be running out only moments later, one of Max's discarded heels only narrowly missing his head.


	2. Chapter 2

Fuhgeddaboud Alec

Chapter 2

A/N: A big thank you to everyone that read and to everyone that reviewed. I really appreciate it. :)

* * *

It'd taken Max the better part of the morning to convince O.C. that nothing had happened between her and Alec. Cindy had believed her for no other reason than the disgust so prominent on Max's face every time she brought it up. Which she did. A lot. Max, that is. Cindy was the one that actually kept trying to drop the subject. Max was the one that was like a chihuahua with a bone. Every few minutes she just couldn't help clamping on and shaking for all she was worth. If O.C. didn't know any better, she'd say her girl was trying to convince _herself_ that nothing happened.

And maybe she was.

Parts of the night were awfully hazy, a weird thing when Max was used to remembering everything with sharp, eagle-eye intensity. When she took a time-out from her disgust and loathing, the lack of remembrance actually kind of unsettled her. She remembered leaving Logan's apartment clearly enough. Even remembered getting in good with the gangsters and Alec suddenly showing up, raining on her parade and stealing her seat (not to mention her spaghetti)… but then what? At some point during that night, her memories became obscure; started shifting in and out of focus. And Max wasn't entirely sure when, but she knew that at one point she'd decided Dougie wasn't worth the effort. He just wasn't interested. Why waste time on something that wasn't going anywhere? Logan would get over it eventually.

She also knew that when it was clear that Dougie wasn't going to take the bait, she'd told someone that she and Alec were kind of together. Or maybe Alec had been the one that had told someone that… Either way, it had proved useful enough. It had gotten her into the back, into the poker game, for one thing. It had kept the other gangsters off her case for another, if the memory of pressing into her friend's side while Tony leered at her was any indication.

That wasn't the bad part though, oh no.

In her memory, she was sitting on Alec's lap, and he was looking at her mouth as her hand curled into his suit jacket.

Then, even worse: She was still on his lap, but he was slouched backwards, relaxed, like she actually belonged there. The wine glass next to her plate stood out for a moment, catching in a flash of light, and she couldn't say why... But the wine glass and the clinking of silverware and a familiar woman's soft voice in the background couldn't distract her from the flare of fire as his hot hand slid suddenly between her thighs.

She launched herself from the couch like it was every bit as fiery as his hand had been. She glanced around but Cindy was nowhere to be seen, probably getting ready for work. Her face firmed, trying to shake away the guilty expression that had somehow managed to creep upon it. What was there to be guilty about? She hadn't asked for Alec to molest her, had she? Besides, he'd probably just done it to be a jerk.

A familiar buzz from the kitchen countertop disrupted her thoughts before she could delve too deeply into them. Sitting around here wasn't doing her any good, she decided with a brusque nod. She'd swing by Logan's before work. Plus, that was like the twelfth time her pager had gone off. She glanced at it, still vibrating on the counter. Maybe some quality time was just what the doctor ordered.

Then again, maybe not.

She strolled in, as she usually did; all aloof, as familiar with his apartment as she was with her own. He glanced up from his table, in the middle of folding his laundry, his eyes narrowing only slightly. Narrowed enough for her to notice, though. Wonder what that's about. She did a quick mental check; yup, expression was still good. Nothing to be guilty about, right Max? So Alec had gotten a little handsy… maybe… the memory was still a _little_ foggy, mostly she just remembered the heat… but if he had, he'd pay for it with the offending appendage later. Nothing Logan needed to know about… right?

But that wasn't what was stuck behind his craw, cuz Logan barely took one look at her, gray cargo pants, thick black jacket, leather gloves and all, before he launched right into it.

"Oh, see, I thought you'd swing by last night." Logan gestured as if it were obvious, glancing at her over the silver frame of his glasses. "Which is why I was _paging_ you."

So _that_ was the reason for pager blowing up. It wasn't a 'how you doin' after all. She glanced away in guilt, pretending like Alec hadn't been there at that club, like she had nothing to be guilty about. "I got really tired all of a sudden." Then she shrugged, because, really, it was not big deal, right? Last night had been a total bust. "I went home and slept for like four hours."

She stomped down the guilt once more. That was totally true. She hadn't been alone, no, but she had slept.

She shot him a quick smile and strolled off, oblivious to his confused look as he picked up the pile of laundry from his table and followed her.

"You slept for four hours?"

Yeah, that was weird, come to think of it. She brought a quick hand to her forehead, her exposed fingers pressing to her warm skin. Same temp as always; too hot to be human. "Yeah," She wondered aloud. "I must be coming down with something."

Coming down with stupidity, if waking up next to Alec was any indication. The thought was half-hearted, because the words brought another sort of memory to mind.

Last time she'd said that to Logan, she'd been coming down with Estrus. A flash of panic had filled her a few hours earlier when the thought had first occurred to her, just as it did now, but she squelched it as best she could. She had time left before she had to deal with that particular type of nightmare, she reminded herself. Probably another good six or seven months. She shrugged and glanced back at him, her hand dropping back to her side as she moved into his living room.

"What'd you want, anyway?" If he didn't want to chat, he must have some Eyes Only thing on his mind. Like usual.

He sounded almost incredulous that she was even asking. "To find out what happened… with Dougie?"

She sank into one of his chairs, her feet propping themselves onto a coffee table strewn with magazines. "Dougie?" She glanced up at him in confusion. His face was every bit as incredulous as his voice had been. Then it hit her. Of course he'd want to know how the job had gone. "Oh yeah," she said, shrugging since it was no big deal, "Didn't work out." Her hands folded restfully on her stomach. She was tempted to ask him, anything else? But he didn't seem like he was in the mood.

Her suspicion was confirmed when he asked in a soft voice, "What do you mean it didn't work out?"

Guess it was time to be honest. "Well, Alec showed up and busted up the dinner party." Her feet fell from the table with a thunk, her face twisting in annoyed remembrance. "Then they all went to the back to play poker. Kinda killed the evening." He was staring at her, almost disbelieving. She cleared her throat and rushed on, leaving out the part where they had led the gangsters to believe that they were _together_. "Got kind of boring. So I bounced."

Ignoring all that other stuff, momentarily, Logan asked in confusion, "He's playing poker with the mafia?"

Was that annoyance on Logan's face, or jealousy? Max seriously wondered if Logan had watched too many mob movies as a child. What, did he want to get in good with the bad guys? So then why didn't _he_ dress in a tight leather outfit and try to seduce Dougie? The thought brought an odd thrill of déjà vu, so she ignored it. More telling, she had also left out that she had _helped_ Alec play poker against the mafia. Logan was her _real_ kind-of boyfriend and painting herself in a negative light wasn't really on her to-do list. It didn't even occur to her that Logan might be jealous of the time she spent with Alec, because with all the bitching she did about him, who in their right mind would be concerned?

Obviously not Logan, because he dropped the Alec thing almost immediately, like he didn't want the younger man in the conversation. Which was fine by Max. Except things took a turn for the weird when Logan almost got a little huffy, transferring his laundry to one arm.

"Okay Max, if you didn't want to do this for me, all you had to do was say so."

Wait, what? What was his deal? "I told you, it just didn't work out."

"Well, it sounds to me like you weren't trying very hard." The bite to his voice didn't help anything.

She stood, because she so wasn't doing this after a morning that was already all jacked up. "Sounds to me like I did you a favor and now I'm getting a scolding for it. You want to scold someone, go find Alec."

He ignored her Alec reference completely, his blue eyes burning into hers. "Max, this is important. If your heart's not in it, feel free to opt out. I'll find someone else."

For a moment, everything seemed tinged in a double meaning. For a moment, she remembered Alec's hot body at her back, his lips brushing against her neck. For a moment, Max decided she was crazy, and she could do without transgenic sharp memories busting into her conversations with Logan.

She scowled at her not-like-that boyfriend. "I told you I'd do it, so I'll do it."

He didn't believe her, she could tell by the stoic squint, so she added, "You know, hook me up again and I'll take another shot at Dougie." He relaxed a little bit, his head going sideways as he started to say something, but she swept right behind him, annoyed. "If I wanted to get reprimanded, you know, I could always go to work."

If he said anything else, she didn't hear it. She stomped out of his apartment even faster than she had strolled in.

* * *

Jam Pony was abuzz with activity, as per usual, people everywhere hard at work. Well, most people. Max ignored Alec as she stormed in, because she so didn't want to deal with that situation right now. From his perch on the counter, Alec followed her angry stomp towards the back with a bemused gaze before he tuned back into Reagan Ronald. The boss didn't even notice how late Max was, he was so busy waxing poetically about Monty Cora. Normal had been harping on the subject for a good five minutes and Alec was ready to put an end it.

"I just don't know why you won't consider a triumphant return to the ring."

Alec shrugged noncommittally. His vanity certainly didn't mind the praise, but it was really no more than any other transgenic would have been able to do. Plus, he wasn't too keen on having another micro-bomb implanted at the base of his brain. Something he couldn't exactly explain to his adoring fan-base of one.

"You were like a master, my friend." Normal went on, oblivious to Alec's obvious lack of enthusiasm. "You were unequaled, without peer."

"Well, it's not that I didn't enjoy knocking grown men unconscious for a living…" He started sardonically, "But, eh, there just comes a time in life when you have to say that was then and this is now and move on to bigger…" He trailed off, catching a woman walking in from the outside, her leopard print wrap-around dress swaying with her gentle walk. "…and oh, so better things. Hi there."

Normal glanced out of his cage in confusion. He hadn't even noticed the pert brunette that had been walking up, fixated as he was on his part time employee, all time idol. Alec had noticed immediately, of course, lady's man that he was. Something odd was in the air, though, because the brunette barely glanced at Alec through thick cats-eye sunglasses before nodding at Normal, quickly recognizing him as the one in charge. When did anyone ever barely acknowledge Alec? Most people did a double-take when they first saw him. Alec didn't notice, even if Normal did.

"Hi. I'm looking for a job." She said it brightly, in a little girl's voice that some people might find endearing but that Alec found strangely familiar... and a little annoying. He could forgive her the voice though, for her confidant walk and put-together air.

Well, she certainly didn't waste any time, Normal could give her that much. And if her cool disinterest in his resident lady's man was any indication, at least he wouldn't have to worry about another Little Suki incident… But he already had plenty of loafers filling his halls, sucking away at his profits. Like Missy Miss, who had obviously been late (not that he'd said anything, as volatile as _that_ hellcat sometimes could be). And not that he would ever admit it to anyone, Normal was feeling a little put out at having his conversation with Alec interrupted. Which is maybe why he resolved to not even give her a chance. "Well, sorry, we're staffed."

Alec apparently did not like that answer, though. "Normal, why so quick to say no? Why don't you at least let the lovely young lady fill out an application." His eyes darted to the back, in an obvious statement to 'take a hike.'

It took the wind right out of him. "What?" he mumbled. Alec shot him another look and what could he do but roll his eyes? He turned away with another unhappy grumble. "Right. There's an application form in the back."

"Thanks pal." Alec clapped him on the arm as the older man dejectedly walked off. There was only so much hero-worship a man could take and Alec had fixated on the young woman not only for her youth and well-dressed appearance, but for the quick escape it could provide. Now that they were alone, he hopped off the counter to get a better look at the girl that had saved him from the Monty Cora conversation.

"Hi there," He offered genially. "I'm Alec, by the way."

"Mia." Her voice was a tad bit cooler than it had been when she'd first walked up. She pulled off her sunglasses in impatience, glancing around like she'd rather be anywhere but here, talking to him. Which she would, but he didn't know that.

Mia frowned briefly at Alec's obvious dismissal of the older man and his thinly veiled flirtation. Wasn't he dating that Max girl? More than anything else, though, she wanted him gone. The more she bent his mind, the more he would start to see the dots that weren't connecting. In order for her to make this work, she'd need as little one-on-one contact as possible. Group settings were far better for her set up. Just hits, here and there, to bend him to her will.

Alec, for his part, was only a little put out at her cool introduction. Truth be told he wasn't much in the mood for pleasant feminine distraction anyway, not after finding himself in Max's bed this morning, surrounded by her scent. Not after everything that had happened two weeks ago… he shut down that thought, shut down the memories, quickly. He kept up the charm for appearances' sake, though, and just to prove that he could. "Well it is a pleasure to know you." But as she was glancing around it hit him like a ton of bricks, just as she feared it would.

"I know you."

That shook her out of her cool façade, didn't it? She stared at him for a moment before glancing away "I-I don't think so."

It wasn't her shaking voice that gave her away. He was already certain that he knew her face as surely as he knew any other transgenic that he had come across in his lifetime, and he wasn't buying her load of crap. He'd been thrown into hell. To the lasers and to the Docs and to their assistant empaths. His body had been poked and prodded at for six hazy months. His mind had been opened, his secrets laid bare, as they searched for something. Anything. For defects. For anything smelling of 'not sane.' That he'd come out of there in one piece was a testament to his strong will and it wasn't anything any man could easily forget. She'd been an oddity in the white hell, a bright, charming, _lying_ voice in cold, sterile surroundings.

The rage that was building was hard to describe. He was amazed he managed to keep it out of his voice.

"No, no, I do, I'm sure of it. Back at Manticore." She almost looked a little scared now. His eyes were hard. No sympathy for the enemy, he told himself. They'd all done what they had to do in captivity, but he liked to think the empaths deserved a special place in hell. "Mmhmm, I spent six months in Psy Ops for evaluation. You were there." He added, just to make sure it all hit home: "I _never_ forget a face."

Then in a flash of amber, he remembered standing before her, standing next to Max, as she nodded at them both, pleased with herself.

"You were there." He accused her suddenly. And then, with a shake of his head to clarify, "Last night, at the club."

Mia resigned herself to the situation with a sigh. "Can't put anything past you."

"Not now, not ever." He agreed in a hard voice. "Now, what was your specialty again? Was it hypnosis, or maybe telekinesis?"

"Telecoercion actually." She corrected automatically.

"That's right." He was going to ask her to what the hell she'd been doing at the club last night. He'd been going to 'kindly' escort her the hell out of here. Or at the very least, explain to Max what they were dealing with, and let her sort out the problem so he could slip back into numb obscurity. He'd been going to do a lot of things before Mia fixed him with a warm smile. Oh no-

Everything went blank.

"Hi, I'm Mia."

White haze, and then there was a woman smiling at him. She seemed friendly enough, if not really his type. Plus, he really didn't feel like dealing with anyone after the weirdness of the morning; of waking up in Max's bed, surrounded by her scent.

A weird feeling of déjà vu tripped down his spine, but didn't everyone always say that déjà vu wasn't real? Just some sort of mixed signals in the brain?

"Alec, nice to meet you." He offered genially, trying to shake away the odd feeling. He walked away, not really interested in the girl, more interested in leaving for a long, early lunch. Sketch caught sight of him walking off though and jogged up easily.

"Hey, who's the hottie?"

"Some girl looking for a job." Alec shrugged in discomfort.

"Please God tell me Normal's going to hire her." Sketch glanced back at the woman, oblivious to Alec's uncharacteristic disinterest.

"Yeah." It was the only thing he was able to offer, following Sketch's glance backwards. But in doing so he caught a glance of Max, coming out of the woman's bathroom. Her eyes caught his and he swallowed. Something told him some well-dressed brunette trying to wrangle a job out of Normal was less a threat to his health than the transgenic glaring at him from across the room. He booked it towards his locker.

"Well, here you go." Normal walked from the back to find Alec gone and the brunette still waiting. He stifled the disappointment. "Gotta warn you though, I've got a stack of resumes in there as high as my tush."

She didn't seem to mind his warning, smiling warmly. "Uh-huh, sure, can I be a dispatcher?"

And why shouldn't she be a dispatcher, upstanding young lady that she was? He heard himself saying, "Nothing less will do."

She beamed at his nonplussed smile. "Neat." She easily grabbed a headset from the counter. Mia had never had a job before. Not a real one, anyway. The idea of it all almost tickled her pink. Until she rounded the corner and came face to face with Max, still looking a little dazed from all the weirdness of her morning and her accidental eye-lock with Alec.

"Hey." Max nodded at the familiar brunette before her, a mite distrusting. There was a slight pause and Max's eyes narrowed. "Do I know you?"

"I don't think so, since I just started working here today." The excitement of having a real job crept into her voice and Mia couldn't help adding, "I'm the new dispatcher. It's really fun." Max and Alec, she decided, could wait for now. Mia needed to get better settled into her new job first.

"Yeah, I guess." Max glanced away.

Mia did some glancing of her own, catching Alec watching them with a strange kind of expression. He caught her looking though and immediately went back to a conversation he was having with an indecently dressed young lady with bleached blonde hair. Mia wondered if she could suggest a dress-code to the older gentleman waiting in the dispatch cage. Then she wondered, glancing between Alec, so obviously not looking at them, and Max, so obviously not looking at Alec, if they'd had some sort of falling out this morning. Distress filled her fairly quickly. No, no, no, she'd been trying to do good by sending them home together! Had they 'freaked out' at some of the vagueness of their memories? The girl, Max, she surely wouldn't mind so much, but Alec was a transgenic, it could have unsettled him into surliness. Why did everything she did always backfire?

Which is maybe what prompted Mia to ask, in concern. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, just…" Max glanced over her shoulder at Alec, chuckling at some obvious come on Lorraina was putting on him judging by the way she was batting her eyes and puffing out her chest. Max scowled, what, was Lorraina biting again? Hadn't she given up on him after the disaster with Little Suki? She huffed, turning back to the brunette. "Just a weird night."

Mia had caught Max's glance, of course she had. Just as surely as she had seen her face twist into a scowl. She'd have to fix this, Mia decided as Max swept past her. She didn't want Alec to remember who she was, but she certainly didn't wish him any ill-will, either. She'd find a way to fix things between him and his girlfriend.

Mia entered the cage, coming to stand beside Normal, and held out a package to Max before she could take off.

"Here you go."

Max glanced down at the address. "Thanks." It was clear across town. She was thankful for it. It meant she would spend at least an hour away from work and all its… weirdness. Her eyes darted towards Alec once more before she booked it out the door.

Alec pretended like he didn't realize she'd left. But when he glanced at the entrance, the brunette that Normal had apparently immediately hired was looking at him pensively. What, had Max said something to the new girl? He stifled the dread and told himself that everything was fine. He had to work at some point in his day though and a guilty conscience had him grabbing for his pack and shuffling towards the door, away from Lorraina. He could do at least one more run before he took off for lunch. Maybe it would help clear his head.

"Here you go." Mia handed him a package with a smile.

"Thanks," He muttered, stuffing it into his messenger pack.

"Everything okay between you and Max?"

Alec glanced up. "Me and Max?" He let out a short laugh. Guess Max had said something after all.

"Yeah," Mia shrugged, her mouth forming a little moue of sympathy. "I noticed the way you two kept avoiding each other."

"Yeah well," He shook his head, almost angrily. "Me and Max are-" He trailed off, unsure how to finish.

"Complicated?" Mia supplied.

"Exactly." Alec nodded. Complicated seemed like a much nicer term than sometimes rivals, occasional allies. Nicer even than the back-and-forth saving of each other's asses that they did, than the wall that Max carefully kept between them. The wall that Alec was too wary of to try and knock down, even after the whole Berrisford thing of two weeks ago. He swallowed. Maybe _especially_ after the Berrisford thing.

"Maybe Max was just mad that you were flirting with that blonde over there." Mia smiled lightly. "You know, the one with so much of her stomach showing."

"Yeah right," Alec barked out a laugh. Like Max would care. Like she ever cared about _anything_ that Alec did. He could probably drop off the face of the planet tomorrow and she wouldn't even notice. His black mood made an easy comeback.

"Maybe if you just _explained_ things to her," Mia stressed.

"You obviously don't know Max, new kid." Alec shook his head. "You don't _explain_ things to Max, you wait for her to tell you how it is."

Mia sighed and stifled the roll of her eyes. Why did transgenics always make everything so difficult? 494, in particular, had always been a stubborn one. She fixed him with a gaze. "Alec, maybe you should just tell her that blonde didn't mean anything and find a way to make it up to her."

His eyes went off-focus for only a moment. "Right." He nodded easily in agreement. Right, Max was probably just butt-hurt that Lorraina was throwing herself at him during work hours, especially after the disaster with Little Suki. Not that that was _his_ fault. Nor was it his fault that he'd been talkin' to the Boss and not out on a run when she _finally_ decided to show up to work. For someone who bent the rules to suit her needs, she sure had a problem with anyone else doing the same.

…Granted, she was already touchy about that whole 'waking up together' thing. Well, he would just explain to her that it was all some big misunderstanding and she'd get over it. Maybe he'd make it up to her. Maybe. If she let him. He walked out of Jam Pony, whistling.

Max walked back in almost an hour later, more relaxed after the long bike ride through the city. The sunshine had improved her mood slightly. Strolling back in with a quick glance towards the back, confirming Alec wasn't around, improved it even further. She dropped the signature slip on the desk but as she was making to move off, the new dispatcher stopped her.

Great.

Small talk.

Max _loved_ small talk. About as much as she loved dogs and Ames White.

"Alec was looking for you earlier," Mia lied easily, a lifetime of doing so making the words roll smoothly off her tongue.

"Can't imagine why," Max muttered, her mood immediately darkening. "Unless he wanted me to hurt him." She glanced up and the woman was looking at her strangely. She cleared her throat, remembering that her and Alec's bipolar relationship wasn't always fit for public consumption. "I'm sorry," She said, in way of a cover. "I didn't catch your name."

"Mia," The woman supplied cheerily. "You know, Max, you shouldn't let Alec get you down. Girl's kick ass, or something like that, right?"

Kick _his_ ass, something murmured darkly. The something that remembered his lips and his hot hand and didn't like how confused they made her. "Right," She agreed.

"Anyway, he'll probably try to make it up to you tonight." Mia offered and Max glanced up in surprise. Alec, make it up to her? When did he ever try to do that? Well, okay, so that wasn't entirely fair. So he helped her out, from time to time. So he could be dependable… sometimes… So, when he wasn't being dependable, he was kinda being like her when she'd first gotten out of Manticore… The wall slammed back down. None of that mattered, not when he shared Ben's eyes. Not when he'd helped Manticore infect Logan with the virus. Not when he'd lost her the cure by almost getting himself, and his stupid eyes, killed by White. Not when every transgenic she'd ever cared for, Josh not included, had died or been lost to the safety of Canada.

Mia watched Max's eyes go stormy at what should have been a light hearted enough statement. She caught the other woman's arm as she tried to stomp off.

"Max," Mia said softly. "Let Alec make it up to you."

And why shouldn't she let Alec make it up to her, Max thought as she dreamily walked off. He certainly owed her plenty. And remember how warm he had been-

Okay, don't know where that thought came from! She nervously glanced around, clearing her throat, but no one seemed to pay her blazing cheeks any mind.

God, she needed a drink.

* * *

Work just couldn't end fast enough. Logan had paged her just as Jam Pony had been closing up shop but she'd ignored it easily enough. She still needed that drink and she was still peeved at him for his earlier condescending tone. She didn't always like giving up her week nights to his daring-do's, y'know. He could at least _pretend_ to be grateful.

Which is how she ended up at Crash, staring morosely at her beer, with Original Cindy, full of concern, sitting across from her.

"Bad day, boo?" Her friend asked softly.

"Yeah," Max sighed, fingering her glass of cheap beer distractedly. "I had this weird scene with Logan earlier." She was tempted to put her head down into her arms.

"Did you tell him about waking up next to Alec?" Because O.C. could see how lettin' something like that slip could cause a weird scene. But Max glanced up sharply, so she shoulda known that wasn't it.

"Of course not," Max ground out.

O.C. hastily retreated from that subject, going back to the topic at hand. "I thought you and Logan were trying to get things back to normal."

"Right," Max's expression narrowed into annoyance. "So I figured, what's more normal than volunteering for his oh-so-urgent, let's save the world by Tuesday, Eyes Only missions."

"The man loves his work," O.C. replied in agreement.

It was like Max didn't even hear her. "Only, I guess I forgot how focused he can get. I mean, he asks for my help, but then it's like _nothing_ I do is good enough." She sighed once more. "Sometimes I just don't get him."

"Well, get this," O.C. smiled lightly, hoping for the best as her eyes went over the other girl's shoulder, "Here comes your boy, and I bet he's bringing an apology with him."

Cindy had watched Logan come in, looking around, watched as his eyes had lit up at the sight of Max's back. She hoped, for her boo's sake, that he'd come to set things right. All their damn drama could just get so… tiring.

Max didn't look over her shoulder to see who Cindy was talking about. 'Her boy,' could on any given day mean Logan OR Alec, and she already knew that Alec was hanging out over at the bar. She knew, because she'd carefully avoided him and sat down with her back facing him. He'd looked, for a moment, like he'd wanted to come over and talk to her but had never worked up to it, thank goodness. 'Her boy,' today, just as she had suspected, meant Logan because she heard his familiar voice at her back almost immediately after Cindy had brought him up.

"Hey guys, mind if I join you?"

"Have a seat." O.C. stood and gave Max a look, like 'play nice.' "I was just gonna zip to the lady's room."

Max was tempted to roll her eyes as O.C. tried to give them space. Like she had to be told to play nice. She'd played nice all damn day. Just look at the way she hadn't pummeled on Alec. Still, maybe Cindy was right. Maybe the fact that Logan had taken the time to track her down to Crash, maybe he wanted to sort things out.

"Wanted to talk to you about earlier." He said casually as he took Cindy's spot, almost like he'd been reading her mind.

She disguised the slight smile, waiting for the apology. "Okay."

"When you said you wanted to stick with the mission…"

Well, that certainly wasn't where she'd been expecting the conversation to go. "Mmhmm?" The slight smile turned into something tight-lipped and tense, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Like any true man, he was completely oblivious to her sudden descent into icy disapproval. "I got a tip Dougie's gonna be back at the club tomorrow night. I thought if you were serious about taking another run at him that'd be the time."

Seriously? He'd hunted her down for the job? Seriously?! On the list of things you never wanted a woman to say, she offered him one of the top five.

"Whatever."

"Whatever?" He questioned, confused at this turn of events. "That's all you're going to say?"

He really didn't get it, did he? She'd sacrificed her night. For him. Dressed like a tramp. For him. Thrown herself at another man. For him! And he was chastising her for Dougie not taking the bait, for not being enthusiastic about a round two? "Is that all _I'm_ going to say?"

"What?"

"Nothing." She smiled hard, a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Never mind."

Logan seemed at a loss. "Ooo-kay…" He glanced away from her, towards the bar. "I'm going to go get a drink."

"Bar's over there." Her head nodded towards it helpfully, her eyes still hard.

He glanced at her once more before walking off with a shake of his head. He'd thought she'd be more enthusiastic about helping him with the case. He knew well enough from his first marriage that hearing a 'whatever' was never a good thing, about as bad as hearing a 'nothing,' or an 'I'm fine,' but hadn't she said she was willing to give it another shot? Didn't she realize how important this was?

Alec watched Logan walk away from Max, the older man shaking his head in bemusement. O.C. hadn't gotten back from the bathroom yet. This, then, was his chance. Earlier, he'd considered going over and talking to Normal's new dispatcher, Mia, who had followed the usual crowd to Crash after work… but something was still niggling at him, telling him he needed to make it up to Max. Make what up, he still wasn't entirely sure. The last year? Last night? This morning? He couldn't say exactly, but the niggle had him ignoring Mia's perky brunette form for Max's slimmer, more dour one.

"Hey, bed buddy."

Max started, then glanced over her shoulder to glare at him. "What do you want?"

He took Logan's, or maybe it was O.C.'s, seat, settling in for the long haul. "Just checking in with everybody's favorite gloom-and-doom transgenic." He leaned down, trying to catch her eyes. "Everything okay between you and Captain Wonderlegs?"

She rolled her eyes, avoiding his gaze, going moodily back to her glass. "They're fine."

"Yeah right, that's why you're over here breathing angst and Logan's at the bar, looking like he just got steam-rolled."

Max followed his gaze to where Logan was ordering a drink. She sighed. "I guess I was a little hard on him, not that that's any of your business."

"He give you crap about the Eyes Only thing you did for him last night?"

The Eyes Only thing that Max had did for Logan. See, even Alec got it. Why didn't Logan? Was he just too caught up in his non-paying job to notice the little people that did his bidding? The thought felt a little petty so she ignored it and just shrugged.

"Or did you tell him that we somehow managed to bunk up together last night?"

Max sat up with a bolt. "What? Of course not!" Like she would _ever_ tell Logan that part. "I still don't even know how that managed to happen in the first place." She finished by glaring at him accusingly, like he knew and it was all his fault.

He shrugged. "Hey, don't look at me, I have no idea either."

"So, then what, you just came over here to chit-chat?"

"Maybe," He shrugged again in his usual nonchalance. "Maybe to buy you a pitcher. To make up for our sudden lack of memory last night." When she continued to just glare at him, unspeaking, his voice became cajoling. "C'mon, Max, what do you say? Let me make it up to you?"

She was tempted to tell him to get the hell away from her. She didn't like remembering that the temperature of his skin was a good six degrees hotter than Logan's. But something had her mouth staying shut for a long moment and she remembered thinking back at Jam Pony that she'd let him make it up to her. He wasn't always so bad, was he? Her eyes softened. Besides, this was probably the closest he'd been to her in a couple of weeks. He'd really shut himself down after the whole Berrisford thing, she was surprised he was putting himself back out there so soon, especially when she had a bad habit of taking out her Ben memories on him. She supposed it would be good for him to get back to normalcy.

"I suppose," She found herself saying grudgingly.

* * *

Logan watched the exchange from across the bar. His eyes had lost some of the confusion at her cold attitude, had gone a little bit hard as Alec had taken his seat. It hadn't escaped him the way that the other transgenic had become almost a staple in Max's life. Didn't escape him that Max was constantly bringing up the other man. In annoyance and disgust, usually, but bringing him up all the same. The two were like five-year-olds, honestly, constantly swatting at each other. It actually kind of worried him. Which was one of the many reasons why Logan tried to drop the subject whenever Max tried to bring Alec up. Sometimes Logan feared that Max would one day wake up and want to be with one of her own kind, somebody that could understand what she was going through. Maybe it sometimes made him a little shorter with Alec than he necessarily needed to be…

"Everything okay?"

Logan glanced to his left and a woman was smiling sweetly at him. He offered her a cool nod. She didn't look like the type to try and pick up a man at a bar, but he wasn't really in the mood for conversation either. "Fine… thanks."

"I'm Mia," the woman offered. When he didn't immediately respond she followed his gaze back to the table he'd just left. Her eyes glanced across the two people before she turned back to the man at her side. He seemed almost out of place compared to everyone else and she was hoping she'd hit the mark. "So how do you know Max and Alec?"

"We kind of… work together."

Bingo. Mia had the feeling that she had just met pay dirt. He seemed like the type, too. Clothes just a little bit too nice to blend in perfectly, though he certainly did try with that hair gel, didn't he? There was something in the way that he'd looked at the other two, though, and Mia couldn't help herself from saying, "They make a handsome couple, don't they?" It was true, they did, both so oddly beautiful… but mostly Mia said it to gauge the older man's reaction. It hit home soundly. The blonde looked away from her, reaching for the drink the bartender had set down in front of him.

"You like her, don't you." It wasn't a question. Even without the coercion she put behind the words, she could see it clearly enough for herself.

"Actually," he heard himself answer. "I'm crazy about her." He frowned in confusion at the honesty of his answer.

"A love triangle?" Mia clapped her hands, giddy. "How dramatic!"

A love triangle? Alarm flared in Logan's body as he looked back towards Max and Alec. Maybe he _did_ have cause for concern. Mia didn't follow his disgruntled gaze, pressing on.

"You're not a fan of Alec, I take it?"

Logan didn't meet her eyes though. He looked away from the table he had left, from Cindy walking back up and swatting at Alec for taking her seat. From the easy way they all fit into each other's lives when they weren't fighting. Alec gave up his seat after a moment, pretending graciousness, and started walking towards the bar. Alec. God, why was everyone always bringing up Alec? Logan sometimes felt he could practically write a book on the other man. "He's okay I guess." He glanced at her out of the corner of her eyes and he was hers.

She waited patiently and it just kind of… poured out.

"Sometimes I think I envy him. He gets her. He understands things about her I can't even guess at. And the way she always try to bring him into everything… how she still tries to protect him after everything he's done."

He shook his head, going on to what was maybe the worst part. "And the way they're always grabbing at each other… and _touching_ each other. It's just not fair."

Mia was tempted to ask the older man what exactly it was that Alec had done that he didn't approve of; did he know that Alec was a transgenic? She was about to ask, but Alec leaned in on the other side of Logan, gesturing at the bartender for a pitcher.

"Hey guys, how's it going?"

Logan's expression was still sour, so Mia thought maybe she'd help out. "Alec. We were just talking about you."

"Really?" He straightened in surprise. "Logan singing my praises again?"

Logan, so that was his name. He never had offered it to her. "Not exactly," she admitted, clearing her throat slightly. "…But Logan has something he wants to say to you, don't you Logan?"

It was like a scene from a bad movie. He found himself turning to Alec. "Yeah, it's just sometimes I envy you. Your freedom. It must be nice to be an easy-going, happy-go-lucky sociopath."

It wasn't exactly what she'd been aiming for… and Alec blinked for a long moment, trying to decide if he should be insulted. But then Mia was butting in again, trying to fix things. "Alec, do you have anything you want to say to Logan?"

"Yeah, sure." Even with the coercion, he was still a little sour about the sociopath comment. "Despite your bad hair and hero complex, I actually find you a little bit… noble. Sometimes I kind of wish my own life had purpose."

Well, it was probably the best she was going to get out of them, especially if they were both into the same girl. Mia beamed. "Awww… group hug!"

They moved easily into the embrace.

Across the room, Max nearly dropped her drink. She'd turned, wondering what was taking Alec so long with his conciliatory pitcher, just in time to watch the men embrace one another. What? Didn't they kind of hate each other? She didn't even stop to wonder _why_ they would dislike each other so much. She probably just chalked it up to their completely different personality styles.

"What the hell is going on over there?" She demanded.

"You got me," Cindy said, equally appalled. "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I nevah would have believed it."

"Uhhh, guys?"

Sketchy's voice brought him back to reality and he pulled away from Logan-hugs in confusion. He was a pretty secure guy though, so after a momentary blink, Alec shrugged. "Okay." He clapped the other man on the chest. "Good talk."

Alec grabbed for the pitcher of beer, high-tailing it back towards Cindy and Max. Logan coughed, rubbing his sore chest where Alec had good-naturedly tapped him. Transgenic strength wasn't really made for a good natured tapping it seemed, and he grabbed blindly for a shot, pouring it down his throat in horror. He could have gone back to Max then, but with Alec heading back over there, Max so securely surrounded by her friends and so obviously unhappy about something, he decided maybe he could wait a few more moments… It would be easier when it was one-on-one.

Mia pursed her lips, watching Alec run back towards Max. That left her alone with Logan, which is exactly what she wanted. It had to be him, didn't it? He was the square peg in the round hole, wasn't he?

"So, about that job you work with Max and Alec?" She turned, smiling to Logan.

Well, he was only too happy to tell her about Eyes' Only, wasn't he? Concerned as she was about her boyfriend, it didn't even cross her mind to ask him why he had Max, of all people, helping him out. She mostly just assumed that with Max's good looks, she'd come in handy with men. And with someone like Alec to protect her from harm, what other possible reason could there be?

* * *

Max watched as Logan became deeply engrossed in conversation with Normal's new dispatcher. The way his eyes had gone all squinty, it almost looked like he was talking about his Eyes Only work or something. The annoyance at his lack of apology resurged and she turned back to her friends, grabbing surely for the pitcher that Alec had provided, pouring herself another drink. She'd asked Alec what that whole 'hug' thing had been about, but he had just shrugged, eh, man talk. Whatever the hell that meant. She couldn't ask Logan because he had apparently decided that talking to Mia was more important than coming over and making nice with her.

Well, fine, she was still kind of pissed at him anyway, and there'd be plenty of time to talk to Logan tomorrow. _Tons_ of talking. He'd probably talk her ear off when she inevitably went over to his place before the job she had only partly agreed to do. She tuned back into the conversation between Cindy and Alec just in time to watch Alec get uncomfortable.

"What's up with you and Lorraina? I thought you two were over."

"We are over." He shrugged.

Cindy snorted. "Sure, Hot Boy. Didn't look so over to me when she was falling all over herself to make eyes at you this morning."

"I have no control over what Lorraina does," He frowned back, going silent and moody.

O.C. paused abruptly, nonplussed by his obviously darkened face. She glanced at Max, like, what that about? Max could only offer her friend a tight-lipped smile. She couldn't exactly explain that, while still flirtatious as a tomcat, she could sort of sense his heart hadn't been in it for a few weeks… not since Rachel Berrisford had died. That was his burden to bear, and if he didn't want to share it with her, she wasn't about to share it with anyone else. As much as Max loved O.C., that was Alec's business, and Alec was… well… he was her kind? That was an odd thought, but yeah, he was a transgenic and more screwed up than most, even if he did hide it better than she did.

Which is maybe why she offered, to lighten the mood, "Game of pool?"

He glanced up, surprised.

"You said you're trying to make it up to me, right?" Although she still wasn't entirely sure what he was making up to her. Flirting with Lorraina? Why should she care about that, she wondered. Waking up next to her? Sure, let's go with that. "I can't exactly just take money from you. Playing pool would give me a good excuse."

One eyebrow lifted and a small, one-sided smile began. "So sure of yourself, are you Maxie?" The cat always loved a challenge, didn't it?

"Always. Let's go, Hot Boy." She slid off the barstool.

"I really wish you guys would come up with a new nickname for me." He muttered as he followed her.

Cindy stayed behind, her eyes tracking the swaying movements of one of the servers that had winked at her earlier. Before she could make a move though, Sketchy threw himself into Max's vacant seat, babbling happily about a resume he'd put in at the Weekly World News. Cindy sighed. Well, there was always time for sweet chickadees later, right?

Max was almost grateful that Cindy had chosen to remain at the table. Getting Alec alone had another purpose besides breaking him out of his blackened mood. As he racked the pool balls, she leaned next to him and asked in a soft voice. "How much of last night do you remember?"

He glanced up. "This again? Max, I told you-"

"I know you said you don't remember coming home with me. But doesn't that strike you as a little odd?"

He opened his mouth, but it fell back shut in thought. He glanced down, his hands rearranging the balls in the rack easily. "What are you asking?"

She shrugged, her eyes slowly casing the joint. "I remember a wine glass, for a moment. Do you think maybe somebody drugged us?"

"Could be." He straightened, his task completed, and leaned against the table next to her. "It'd have to be pretty powerful stuff… I mean, like military-grade black market powerful."

Max sighed. "That's what I was afraid of." The mob couldn't possibly have someone from Manticore working for them, could they? And what could they possibly gain from drugging some girl they'd picked up off the street? The gangsters she'd been with were scum-bags, sure, but they hadn't seemed terribly interested in date-rape.

"Anyway, I guess I'm pulling another job for Logan tomorrow. Maybe it'll help me figure it out."

He frowned. "Another one? Max, don't you ever get tired of sticking your neck out for Eyes Only?"

She found herself answering honestly and not just as a recording of Logan. "It's important, you know. Everybody's gotta have a purpose, Alec."

"Yeah, I guess." He glanced down, away from her, as the words hit home better than she'd intended.

Which is maybe why she asked, "You coming with me to the club tomorrow?"

"What?" He looked back at her, surprised. "Why on earth would I do that?"

"Well," She teased lightly, remembering the huge lie that had been told the previous night. "You are kind of my boyfriend."

He was opening his mouth to respond, a warm light gleaming in his eyes, when Mia's oh-so-sweet voice washed over them. "Oh, you two made up! I'm so glad!"

She'd gotten what she'd needed out of Logan, every little bit of dirt he had on the Sperrenchino family and on her Dougie, before she'd sent him on his way. She told him he needed to give Alec and Max a chance to sort out their issues without trying to jump back into the fray. The man had seemed fairly troubled by the idea, but he had eventually bent to her will, just as they all did. She was secretly pleased to come over here and find that Alec and Max were doing just as she had asked and were trying to fix things.

They were startled, though, by her sudden appearance and put a little distance between their bodies. Max glanced at Mia, rolling her eyes. Alec scoffed out a quick, 'yeah right.' It's like Mia thought they were a _couple_ or something.

"Something still wrong?" Mia asked, her smile dying a little.

"Nope. Everything's peachy, right Max?" Alec said blandly.

"Just as dysfunctional as ever." Max replied dryly.

That so wasn't going to work for the romantic in Mia.

"Oh, you two just need to kiss and make up."

Sudden dread coiled in Max's stomach. "…But I don't want to." The idea, frankly, seemed dangerous.

Alec, for his part, broke into a cold sweat. His voice was terse, almost fearful. "Please don't make me."

Max turned and scowled at him, her objection forgotten. What, like kissing her would be such a bad thing? Who the hell did he think he was?

"Alec…" Mia started warningly.

Alec didn't have to say anything else, because Max bent to the coercion more easily than he had (her annoyance at his obvious balk had probably helped the situation more than Mia realized). She wasn't sure why she did it, probably just to prove she was desirable, probably because he was a jerk and needed to be punished... maybe just for kicks? Whatever the reason, her arms wrapped around his neck easily enough and he looked down in time for her lips to press up.

Everything was white and silent, just for a moment, and then Alec came back to himself _and Max was kissing him_.

"Do you see what I see?" Sketch asked in obvious confusion.

"Now Original Cindy _knows_ she done seen everything." O.C. replied in similar shock.

Max was kissing him and that wall that he tried so hard to keep between them, the wall that she had built and he was too scared to try and bring down… for a moment, it was like the wall was gone completely, and her kiss was just a tad too chaste to be what he really wanted.

His mouth slanted over hers, more demanding, as his hands buried themselves in her hair. His sillken tongue was hot and electric, sliding against her own. Every nerve ending in her body was crackling to life, every point of her body that touched his aware of his heat. She gasped against his mouth, gasped against the building need, and a voice brought her crashing back to reality.

"Alec?"

They broke apart, startled once more, and Lorraina was standing next to them, disgust and shock warring on her face. Mia was nowhere to be seen.

Fear was building on Alec's face, but hadn't Max been the one to initiate? God knows why, but she had. Maybe, she decided smugly, because he deserved it, jack ass that he was. Hah, didn't think she was so undesirable now, did he, not when his pupils were large and his breath was a little uneven and oh god, as another spike of desire slashed through her veins, she needed to get out of here.

"Ummm… right." She clapped him on the shoulder. "Good talk."

And she booked it out of there, before Cindy could try and grab her and demand to know what the hell was going on. She wouldn't have been able to answer anyway, since even she didn't have any idea.


End file.
